"Finished! The last segment is finally done! Good work!"
Akikawa Yayoi lowered her camera and looked at Kagura, who was still wearing a perfect, professional smile, and gave her an enthusiastic thumbs-up.
Kagura, having maintained this same smile for nearly three hours straight, instantly relaxed upon hearing Akikawa Yayoi's announcement. She felt her face had completely stiffened.
"Praise! Although there were a few bumps, we've finally made it! Kagura-chan, you can stop holding that expression now!"
"Director Akikawa...my face...it won't loosen up right away…"
Kagura's smile remained frozen on her face—not because she didn't want to relax, but because she genuinely couldn't move it. This was the first time she truly experienced the legendary "facial paralysis."
Yayoi stepped forward, smiling warmly, and gently cupped Kagura's cheeks, softly rubbing them. For the first time, Kagura realized the director was barely taller than she was—probably just a bit over 150 centimeters.
"Tazuna-san, I'll leave the footage editing to you later. It's already getting late, and Kagura-chan must be starving after such a long day. How about coming home with me? I'll cook something tasty for you!"
Akikawa Yayoi cheerfully handed the camera over to Tazuna-san, who had been assisting them all along, and playfully winked at her. Tazuna smiled gently and nodded, accepting the camera without complaint.
Kagura was about to politely refuse, but Akikawa Yayoi, who had already gotten to know Kagura's character well, anticipated the hesitation. Knowing Kagura was busy organizing her words, she decisively pulled Tazuna into the conversation as backup.
"Tazuna-san, you've also been working hard all day—you must be tired too. Why don't you come over as well!"
"Oh my, since you're inviting so warmly, Director…then I'll gratefully accept. Hehe, Kagura-chan, you don't have to be so worried—the Director isn't nearly as busy as you might imagine. It's no trouble at all."
"…Alright, then…thank you for your kindness, Director."
Seeing Tazuna had already agreed, Kagura figured that going with her wouldn't feel as awkward, so she finally accepted Yayoi's invitation.
...
Akikawa Yayoi's home wasn't far from Tracen Academy. Kagura felt they were on the same road as Maruzensky-san's house—or at least, the scenery looked familiar to her.
Of course, Yayoi hadn't walked; she had driven to the school herself. Kagura didn't know much about cars, but just from its appearance, she could tell it wasn't cheap.
Well, she is the Director, after all...
Kagura sat quietly in the backseat, with Tazuna-san joining her. She had assumed Tazuna would be driving, but surprisingly, Director Akikawa herself was behind the wheel. Kagura was mildly amazed someone so petite could reach the pedals at all.
——Although I suspected it earlier, now that I've had a close look, Kagura, your Director isn't human.
Hm? Director Akikawa…isn't human? What does that mean?
——She's an Uma Musume, just like you. The green-hatted lady next to you is as well.
Reading the words that appeared on her phone, Kagura was momentarily stunned. She discreetly glanced at Tazuna-san and then at Akikawa-san, but their disguises were flawless. She couldn't spot even a hint of Uma Musume traits.
They clearly had their reasons for disguising themselves. Even if Eclipse-san saw through it, Kagura had no intention of exposing them.
"Kagura-chan, thank you again for today. I had hoped you could relax properly, yet here I ended up troubling you again."
"It's no trouble at all. The Director and Tracen Academy have helped me a great deal. Doing something like this is the least I can do."
Kagura smiled softly, reassuring Tazuna-san and Yayoi not to worry about inconveniencing her. Compared to the time back in college when she and her roommate volunteered as extras in a promotional film just to earn an extra 0.1 credit, today's filming had been significantly more stressful.
But there's a huge difference between being a presenter and an extra… The pressure was intense.
Thinking about today's experience, Kagura felt her face ache slightly. Keeping that professional smile while narrating had been incredibly challenging. Now she could fully appreciate the skill of those professionals who regularly shot promotional videos.
"Fu fu~ Actually, I had another thought: next time we have an open campus day, I'd like to organize a student talent performance. Last time we couldn't gather enough participants, so we had to cancel. But today, I noticed your incredible stage presence, Kagura-chan. Plus, you're quite skilled at dancing, aren't you?"
"Eh?! I—I—I'm terrible at dancing! I totally can't do that kind of dance!"
Kagura instantly guessed what Yayoi was about to ask of her and shook her head vigorously to refuse. Filming a video was one thing; she'd only faced Yayoi and Tazuna-san—and at most a few passing students. But dancing during open campus was entirely different—hundreds, maybe even thousands of spectators watching, possibly even filming or live-streaming her!
"Oh, really? Then it seems we should arrange some special dance training sessions for you soon!"
Yayoi knew Kagura wasn't refusing due to lack of skill. A while ago, she had secretly witnessed Kagura dancing beneath the moonlight on the empty track field. Even as young as Kagura was, Yayoi had felt a flutter in her heart she hadn't experienced for years. That elegant, mesmerizing dance, coupled with Kagura's gentle, watery gaze, left a profound impression. Tazuna-san, who'd been with her that night, had also stood frozen, unable to look away, until Kagura finally fled.
It's too bad… Kagura-chan and I were born in different eras, after all.
Driving steadily, Yayoi couldn't help but sigh inwardly. If Kagura had been around in her younger days, she might have run over to confess her feelings the very next day. Tazuna had even teased her afterward for blushing so fiercely while watching a young girl's dance. Of course, Yayoi immediately shot back, since Tazuna herself had been just as captivated.
"Eh… You really don't have to worry about that, Director! I'll find time to practice myself!"
"Mmhm~ You'd better! I've seen trainers forget this sort of thing until their Uma debuted and ended up frozen stiff on stage, completely clueless. That's truly embarrassing!"
"Akikawa-san, please focus on driving. Also, aren't you a bit too relaxed? You've even forgotten your usual speech pattern."
Tazuna-san gently reminded Yayoi, who was turning around to chat while still driving. Yayoi blinked in surprise, then laughed sheepishly.
"Oh, the Director's usual speaking habit needs conscious effort?"
Kagura had just discovered this for the first time. Given Yayoi's slightly embarrassed expression, Kagura figured this was something Yayoi probably didn't want revealed—she silently decided to keep this secret to herself.
"Incorrect! Well, I don't have to consciously maintain it all the time. Initially, many students were too intimidated to talk to me, so I thought of this way… Hehe, Kagura-chan, do you think it's effective?"
"Very! My first impression was that the Director was really friendly and approachable, making it easier to talk."
If not for Yayoi's distinctive speech, Kagura would likely never have dared approach her or converse so openly.
"That's good, that's good! The last thing I want is students afraid to talk to me. As Director, communicating with my students is always my top priority!"
Director Akikawa genuinely cares about students—having such a principal is truly fortunate.
In Kagura's mind, Yayoi's standing rose even higher. She truly represented the ideal principal Kagura had always dreamed of—deeply involved in all school affairs, hands-on, personally supervising even the students' track repairs, frequently communicating with students and seriously considering their suggestions. Kagura had even heard Yayoi recently suggested adding a conveyor-belt sushi line to the school cafeteria, though Tazuna-san quickly shot down that particular idea.
As they chatted, Kagura felt the car gradually slowing down, seemingly nearing their destination. She glanced outside; this area looked somewhat familiar. She had passed by this upscale residential neighborhood once before while shopping for specialty Chinese ingredients—but of course, she'd never actually set foot inside such an exclusive place. Her familiarity only extended as far as its outer gate.
"Oh right, Kagura-chan, do you have any plans for New Year's?"
"Speed-sama asked me to return to the Symboli home. She said she'd take me to a shrine and festival visits."
"Ah! That old rascal Speed-sama! Planning something so fun without inviting me!"
Yayoi let out a slightly dissatisfied complaint while stepping on the brake, parking the car, pulling up the handbrake, and swiftly removing the keys. She hopped out energetically and even walked around to open Kagura's door.
"Alright, Kagura-chan, we're here! Welcome to my home~!"